Submerging the Trailer when launching and loading boat

[Amar Nanduri]

I noticed some scratches on the underside of the hull near the keel , where the boat rests on the bunks, and I suspect the main reason was when launching the boat or pushing it up the trailer using the jets (when launching and retreiving). Now a days when launching or retrieving the boat, I put the trailer into the water all the way closer to the Bow Stops. This is making my boat float on top of the bunks. Then I use a rope to push the boat away from the trailer and tying it to the dock(OR) pull the boat closer to the bow stop before latching it.

My question is... is this going to damage the trailer as I am almost submerging it ? Advantage is that I can boat by myself all alone. Most of my boating is in the lakes.

Best
Amar

 

[brockhals]

your trailer fills with water anyway, so having it fill more shouldn't be an issue as long as you are not getting your brake resevior under water. that'd be my only concern aside from your electrical connection to your truck

 

[KXCam22]

The only issue is that on a steep ramp the bow will often line up under the roller when loading. If you lube the bunks with a spray you can pull the 7/8 loaded boat out of the water then crank it on the rest of the way. Cam.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

The only issue is that on a steep ramp the bow will often line up under the roller when loading. If you lube the bunks with a spray you can pull the 7/8 loaded boat out of the water then crank it on the rest of the way. Cam.

What lube to use on the bunks . I do not have rollers...just plain bunks

 

[Bruce]

I back the trailer in until the bunks are submerged so that they are wet (slick) then pull out until the last couple of feet of the bunks are out of the water. That way there is a slick surface for the boat to slide onto and enough friction that @Rana can power onto the trailer without hitting the bow stop.

 

[bronze_10]

Use Silicon spray on the bunks but i caution u... do NOT take off the winch strap or the safety chain until u r ready for the boat to move off the trailer! That stuff is slick when it is wet but it will make the boat loading smooth as glass.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Most of the times I boat by myself, and using a rope to push the boat out / pull it onto the trailer is easier for me. Saves me time in coordinating between the truck and the boat.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Use Silicon spray on the bunks but i caution u... do NOT take off the winch strap or the safety chain until u r ready for the boat to move off the trailer! That stuff is slick when it is wet but it will make the boat loading smooth as glass.

What make and brand ? Got a picture?

 

[bronze_10]

We back the boat into the water and then unwinch it.. becareful that the winch handle doesnt get away from u

 

[bronze_10]

I have some somewhere but i ave not dug my boat stiff out of storage

 

[Amar Nanduri]

We back the boat into the water and then unwinch it.. becareful that the winch handle doesnt get away from u

Been there. Done that. Learnt my lesson. While backing up I hit the brakes at the last minute, but made the mistake of not locking the winch (after I gave it some free strap) and also removed the safety chain. By the time I got off the truck and ran to the winch, the boat was already 15 feet away from the trailer and it took my hands quite a beating to stop the winch and reel the boat back in. So now I double check that the winch lock is on and the safety chain is also active before I back the trailer into the water and hit the brakes.

 

[KXCam22]

Any cheap silicone auto spray works. Its not magic but does help a lot. When it goes on super sale i buy a bunch of cans. Cam.

 

[Floyd]

I use a dry silicone or Teflon spray like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Blaster-9-3-oz-Advanced-Dry-Lube-with-Teflon-16-TDL/202532762

Even using the lubricant, the boat is really hard to crank onto the trailer. I also noted that the winch on my new Scarab trailer is mounted about a half inch too low, which pulls the boat down onto the bunks and adds friction. I can tell, since after I get the boat up near to the bowstop and then release tension the boat springs up a bit. I plan to add some SS washers or something to raise the winch.

 

[Benny Sibbitt]

I am thinking about start using Marykate Liquid rollers trailer bunk board lubricant or Slydz-on spray
I am always afraid of causing to much stress to the boats eye and hull, when I pull trailer of the ramp and have to pull the boat another inch or two to get the boat in place.

I found 2 products, not sure if anyone has used before? feedback would be great

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00144EZJ8/ref=pd_luc_rh_bxgy_01_01_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000BYEZI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[Bruce]

I have read lots of posts about using various lubricants and loving it or that the boat slides off too easy and someone gets hurt by the winch or fears of the boat ending up on the ramp.

We launch and retrieve at lots of different ramps with various angles. I have yet to find a place where backing partly in, releasing the strap and safety then backing a little further in and tapping the brakes did not launch the boat. For retrieval fully submerging the bunks then pulling the trailer back out a little has always made them sufficiently slick.

Although I do feel for you guys that are launching and retrieving on your own. That is an easy task on a boat with little freeboard but not easy on our boats unless you have a dock beside the ramp that allows roping the boat on and off.

 

[KXCam22]

My last boat had a roller trailer which was excellent. Yes the boat "could" roll off the trailer if you were challenged in the thinking dept. I haven't found a bunk lube yet that would make the boat slide off the trailer that easily. Maybe I should switch to marine grease on the bunks. Or else I am using the wrong stuff. Cam.

 

[greg]

I have used the liquid rollers spray. It works very well. But like was said, keep winch strap attached. It will slide off

 

[rsg1963]

I've had roller bunks and went through cases of silicone spray. I finally had enough of the cloud of silicon (and having to wait until the bunks are dry WITH the boat off the trailer obviously). I now use these (See below) on my JetSki trailer and will be buying them for my boat trailer this year. Max weight is 8k pounds so we are all well under that limit. They work perfectly and remember: Do NOT unhook your winch until your boat is in the water. These are nearly as slick as roller bunks but without the breakage and maintenance. Highly recommend, and this is a case of you get what you pay for. I've tried other versions of this with cross-hatch design and bunk cap units, etc. None were a permanent solution like these are.

https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Bunk-Glides/dp/B00CXADP02

 

[Julian]

I now use these (See below) on my JetSki trailer and will be buying them for my boat trailer this year.

Interesting....looks very similar to the whole new bunks people were using (Ultimate Bunk Boards) here for a while until they discovered that without the carpet, the plain bunks were damaging the bottoms of their boats.

Here are a couple of threads that touch on UBBs and scratches in general:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/please-help-trailer-bunks-scratching-black-hull.9368/
https://jetboaters.net/threads/bunk-scratches.7582/

 

[rsg1963]

Interesting....looks very similar to the whole new bunks people were using (Ultimate Bunk Boards) here for a while until they discovered that without the carpet, the plain bunks were damaging the bottoms of their boats.

Here are a couple of threads that touch on UBBs and scratches in general:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/please-help-trailer-bunks-scratching-black-hull.9368/
https://jetboaters.net/threads/bunk-scratches.7582/

Yes, Julian, UBB's are exactly the type I tried in the past with horrible results. These units I am referencing are not like those. I remember my ski feeling like it was 'sticking' some when loading with those UBB's. They split where mounted and scratched my hull badly. I spent $1,200 repairing the hull and switched to these from Surfix. Much higher quality and after 4 years, my 1k pound ski has no visible marks where it loads and glides every time on and off.